Google Results

**liam88** · 21/06/2006, 11:07 PM

Wondering if anyone with any good knowledge on the internet could help me with this one? As some of you know I'm involved in the running of the Students Against Total website 'Boycott Total Oil' (link is in my signature). Up till a couple of days ago if you typed "Boycott Total Oil", "Boycott Total" or "Totalitarian Oil" into Google the first five results or several of the first five results would be our site -now we barely apepar anywhere on Google. Does anyone know why this could be? The only thing we have changed recently is the subtitle from "The Independent News Website dedicated to monitoring Total Oil's actions in Burma" to "The Students Against Total News Website: dedicated to monitoring Total Oil's actions in Burma" but I can't see how this would have lost us all our search results? Any ideas?

**Raheny Red** · 23/06/2006, 12:57 PM

Send a pm to Endai I think he works for Google so maybe he could explain

**John83** · 26/06/2006, 2:23 PM

Google tweaks the algorithm that decides where you rank all the time to try
to stop people from just optimising their site to appear right at the top.

The only cheap and consistant way to feature well is to have a distinctive name and plenty of people linking to you.

**Drumcondra Red** · 26/06/2006, 3:14 PM

Originally Posted by Raheny Red

Send a pm to Endai I think he works for Google so maybe he could explain

No, he had an interview with them, think he got a job elsewhere...

**First** · 27/06/2006, 2:11 PM

Originally Posted by liam88

Wondering if anyone with any good knowledge on the internet could help me with this one? As some of you know I'm involved in the running of the Students Against Total website 'Boycott Total Oil' (link is in my signature). Up till a couple of days ago if you typed "Boycott Total Oil", "Boycott Total" or "Totalitarian Oil" into Google the first five results or several of the first five results would be our site -now we barely apepar anywhere on Google. Does anyone know why this could be? The only thing we have changed recently is the subtitle from "The Independent News Website dedicated to monitoring Total Oil's actions in Burma" to "The Students Against Total News Website: dedicated to monitoring Total Oil's actions in Burma" but I can't see how this would have lost us all our search results? Any ideas?

Maybe Total Oil have paid Google to have your sites moved, I know that businesses pay to have search engines place their sites in the frontline when a search for a product is made. Just a thought , not trying to start a conspriacy theory here.

**dahamsta** · 27/06/2006, 3:12 PM

Originally Posted by First

Maybe Total Oil have paid Google to have your sites moved, I know that businesses pay to have search engines place their sites in the frontline when a search for a product is made. Just a thought , not trying to start a conspriacy theory here.

You may not be trying, but you just did. And it's extremely unlikely, so let's leave it there.

Liam, like someone else said above, Google's search and spider algorithms change all the time, so it could have been the change of title, or someone pulling or adding links to the site, or it could have been nothing at all. You'll never know. If you want the site back in the ranks, you'll just have to tweak and twiddle like everyone else.

adam